Red Rocket is proud to announce the implementation of a revolutionary system that ensures the protection of bird species on its wind farms, marking a first-of-its-kind innovation for wind farms in South Africa.
The monumental partnership with international avian monitoring leader, Bioseco, has resulted in the deployment of an automated detection system that ensures the mitigation of bird collisions with wind turbines, using advanced shutdown-on-demand functionality.
A Leading Independent Power Producer Setting the Standard
As a leading Independent Power Producer (IPP), Red Rocket continues to set the standard for sustainability and environmental stewardship in Africa’s just energy transition. The initiative aligns with the company’s broader commitment to biodiversity conservation while delivering trusted sustainable energy solutions.
The system has been fully installed and is active at the 144MW Brandvalley wind farm and Rietkloof wind farm, which announced the commencement of commercial operations in April – the first two projects under Round 5 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) to achieve this milestone.
Advancing Intelligent Wind Farm Asset Management
Targeting turbines located in bird-sensitive areas, the system uses detection technology to track bird movements near the turbines. Upon detecting birds in close proximity, it activates visual and audio deterrents, and if necessary, initiates a temporary turbine shutdown. This represents a huge leap forward over the current traditional, manually operated methods for wind farm asset management.
Red Rocket CEO, Matteo Brambilla, said: “With this partnership, Red Rocket affirms its long-term vision that guides our decisions as we strive to operate sustainably for the benefit of our environment. We are delighted to work with Bioseco on this project, which marks a pivotal phase in our journey after the recent milestones of the two projects.”
Additionally, the monitoring system is designed to provide valuable insights on bird behaviour, working around the clock to feed information into Red Rocket’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for continued reporting.
Enabling a Sustainable Future for Wind Energy
Bioseco Commercial Manager, Magda Bielawska, said: “At Bioseco, sustainability is our DNA. Our mission is not only to protect birds, but to enhance wind energy production through intelligent environmental integration. This partnership with Red Rocket is a significant step forward, and we are proud to work on this project that has such a positive impact.”
Together with Brandvalley and Rietkloof, the Bioseco system is being installed at other Red Rocket wind farm projects currently under construction, demonstrating the investment in innovation that safeguards biodiversity while enabling a clean energy future.
